Insurers paid similar rates for telehealth and in-person services in 2020, according to an analysis from the Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation Health System Tracker.
The report, published Jan. 18, compared reimbursement rates for telehealth and in-person care among privately insured individuals in 2020.
Prices were broadly similar for in-person and virtual services. The average cost for established patient evaluations was $33 dollars for in-person care and $34 dollars for telehealth.
These trends were similar for mental health services. The average cost insurers paid for 30-minutes of in-person and telehealth psychotherapy was $48.
The researchers wrote they "do not know at this point" if payers continue to provide similar rates for in-person and telehealth care.
"However, if telehealth payments continue to be the same as those for in-person care, then this raises questions as to whether telehealth will reduce the spending on common health services, as some have predicted," the researchers wrote.
See the full report here.